Chapter 105#
“Don’t be afraid. Didn’t I say I would let you win?”#
Jiang Sheng sped all the way, pushing the very limits of the speed limit, until he reached the “Zhaohui” building.
The second the car came to a halt, he jumped out in a hurry and strode quickly toward Qin Mu’s office.
Jiang Sheng pushed the door open. Qin Mu was sitting in his office chair, his posture leisurely and his expression relaxed, with a faint, indiscernible smile even hanging at the corners of his mouth.
Seeing Qin Mu’s relaxed manner, the heart that had been lodged in Jiang Sheng’s throat all morning slowly began to settle back down.
As long as Qin Mu didn’t fall, as long as Zhaohui didn’t fall.
There was still hope for everything.
Jiang Sheng smoothed out his crumpled hem and closed the door behind him. His expression seemed indifferent, but his steps were still slightly hurried, betraying his unquiet heart.
He sat down opposite Qin Mu.
Qin Mu looked at him with a smile. The sunlight from the window spilled across Qin Mu’s face, yet Jiang Sheng felt that the smile was cold, devoid of any warmth.
His movements paused as he suppressed the strange feeling in his heart.
“Qin Mu, do you know what happened this morning?”
Qin Mu nodded with a smile, his gaze sweeping over him evaluatively. “Uncle Jiang, for such a big event…”
“None of that is true!” Jiang Sheng interrupted harshly.
He lowered his brow, his eyes full of gloom, and his jaw worked slightly as if he finally couldn’t hold it back: “This is all the Yan family’s doing behind the scenes. I’ve looked into it; it’s that madwoman Yan Yi’s deliberate retaliation!”
Speaking of this, Jiang Sheng raised his eyes to glare at him with dissatisfaction: “Wasn’t it because of you that the woman got tangled up with Xiao Han in the first place? Now that such a huge scandal has broken out, she’s doing it to make Xiao Han, me, and the entire Jiang family lose our reputations!”
“I don’t know how that old fossil Yan Xiang teaches his juniors!”
“She’s a total lunatic!”
He drew his conclusion coldly.
Qin Mu’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He listened quietly to the angry complaints, a hint of interest even appearing in his eyes, as if he were watching an amusing performance.
When the voice faded, the smile at the corners of his lips deepened. Like an ignorant junior, he asked humbly, “Uncle Jiang, then what do you plan to do now…?”
Jiang Sheng frowned fiercely, feeling that all of Qin Mu’s recent brilliance and flexibility had failed him at this moment.
He subconsciously slapped the table, adopting the aura he used with his subordinates: “What do you think I plan to do! You caused this disaster, and Jiang Ming’s stock has already dropped a full 7 points! If it drops any further, it’s going to hit the limit down!”
The man’s angry voice was high and intense, echoing softly in the office.
The smile at the corner of Qin Mu’s mouth went cold. He leaned back against the chair, glancing at him dismissively, and asked coldly:
“Then what does that have to do with me?”
“You—” Jiang Sheng’s voice suddenly froze. His eyes widened as he looked at him in disbelief. The man’s exquisite features were still as striking as ever, but the smile had vanished completely, leaving only a sheet of ice.
Looking at the stinging cold sneer on Qin Mu’s lips, the unbelievable thought in his heart gradually became reality.
“Are you planning to turn your back on me now?”
“You didn’t have this face when you asked me for financing!”
The coldness in Qin Mu’s eyes deepened as he spoke coldly: “You’ve got that wrong. Back then, weren’t you the one begging to provide me with financing?”
“Qin Mu!” Jiang Sheng slammed both hands on the table, leaning his body forward as the veins in his neck bulged:
“Do you really think you can stay out of this? From the moment you agreed to get engaged to Xiao Han, Jiang Ming and you have been in the same boat. You took my financing and now you want to just pat your ass and leave? I’m telling you, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Unless you fall, otherwise—”
“Otherwise what?”
Qin Mu asked.
He picked up the remote control on the table and turned on the LCD TV behind Jiang Sheng.
Once it was on, he didn’t even need to change the channel; it was the first news report playing.
The headline read starkly: “Section Chief Feng Jin suspected of ‘corruption’ involving a huge sum of money. The circumstances are serious. He has been suspended pending investigation and may face prosecution!”
Jiang Sheng’s eyes rounded as he turned to look at the TV.
The host in the news had a serious expression, harshly criticizing the impropriety of this behavior and announcing the serious consequences it would cause.
Jiang Sheng’s habitually straight spine slowly became rigid. He stared at the familiar words in the headline, his voice incredibly dry: “Feng Jin…”
“Feng Jin!” He suddenly turned his head, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Qin Mu: “Qin Mu! This is the ‘foolproof’ plan you talked about! You idiot, do you realize that by doing this, everything is ruined!”
“Tsk.” Qin Mu made a light sound. He looked at the broadcast on the news station, a flash of dissatisfaction quickly crossing his eyes.
This kind of revenge was too crude and inferior; Qin Zheng’s methods were even lower-level than he had imagined.
However, he let out a soft sigh. Time was too short; the fact that he could prepare all this was barely enough to pass.
Qin Mu leaned forward, propping up his face as he watched Jiang Sheng’s anger and loss of control.
A smile even played at the corners of his mouth.
After waiting for Jiang Sheng to finally calm down slowly, he asked with a light smile: “President Jiang, tell me…”
Jiang Sheng slowly steadied his breathing and looked at Qin Mu.
“Tell me, is the next person to walk through that door coming to get you, or coming to get me?”
The vein in Jiang Sheng’s temple jumped violently. His fingertips gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white.
“I think…” The malicious smile in Qin Mu’s eyes flickered, his tone gentle yet exceptionally soul-crushing: “The possibility of them coming for you is a bit higher. I think President Jiang’s circumstances are probably more severe than mine.”
“Coercion, abduction, surrogacy, illegal detention.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Qin Mu’s voice was soft: “The sentence for these, President Jiang… I’m afraid it won’t be light, will it?”
Jiang Sheng’s fingertips tightened abruptly, his hands clenched into fists. He glared at Qin Mu with hatred.
Before he could open his mouth for the next second—
The door was suddenly pushed open.
Qin Mu began to laugh, his wicked voice echoing softly: “And the winner is…”
The person who came in wasn’t anyone else.
It was Jian Yunchen.
His clothes were in disarray, his hair hadn’t been tidied, and the ambiguous red marks on his neck weren’t even covered properly, peeking out from the edge of his collar.
He rushed in hurriedly. The moment he saw Qin Mu, his eyes turned red.
The composure he had maintained all morning suddenly dissipated.
Qin Mu stood up helplessly and walked toward him, gently pulling Jian Yunchen into his arms, his palm stroking the slightly trembling back.
Before he could say anything.
A group of investigators carrying identification flooded through the door that hadn’t been closed in time.
Jian Yunchen clutched Qin Mu’s collar tightly. Although he didn’t speak, the back in his hands trembled even more violently.
The leader pulled out his ID and said coldly:
“We are from the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Qin Mu, you are currently involved in a bribery and corruption case. The circumstances are serious. Please cooperate with the investigation.”
“This is a search warrant and an arrest warrant. You are now being lawfully arrested. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
Qin Mu smiled helplessly. He lowered his head and rubbed Jian Yunchen’s hair reassuringly, his voice soft: “It’s okay.”
Jian Yunchen’s eyes were blood-red, but his tears refused to fall.
He bit his lower lip hard, refusing to let go of the collar he was clutching.
The situation was at a stalemate.
Qin Mu brushed his finger across the corner of the other man’s eye, gently wiping away a trace of red moisture. A bit of wetness stained his knuckle.
He lowered his head and kissed away the tear that had fallen on his finger.
Jian Yunchen’s eyes trembled slightly as he slowly looked up into Qin Mu’s eyes.
Qin Mu looked at him and said softly:
“Don’t be afraid. Didn’t I say I would let you win?”